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Friday 10 September 2021

Cacín Valley, Granada Province, Spain.

A days birding with Anita along the Cacín Valley.
 
Copper Demoiselle (Calopteryx haemorrhoidalis) female.
I met Anita at Moraleda where we had a coffee before heading out along the Cacín Valley and made our to the first stop which was alloking up at the cliffs to the south of Moraleda but things there were quiet and we only saw Spotless Starling (Estornino Negro / Sturnus unicolor), Feral Pigeon (Paloma Bravía / Columba livia) and Sardinian Warbler (Curruca Cabecinegra / Sylvia melanocephala) before we moved on down the valley to the bridge over the Cacín.
Common Blue Damselfly (Enallagma cyathinerum) female.
We parked and walked down the track as far as the fence near the Dam and then back again, on the way we saw Copper Demoiselle (Calopteryx haemorrhoidalis), Common Blue Damselfly (Enallagma cyathinerum), Iberian Bluetail (Ischnura graellsii), Scarlet Darter (Crocothemis erythraea), Cetti's Warbler (Ruisenor Bastardo / Cettia cetti), Short-toed Treecreeper (Agateador Común / Certhia brachydactyla) and both Spotted (Papamoscas Gris / Muscicapa striata) and Pied Flycatchers (Papamoscas Cerrojillo / Ficedula hypoleuca).
Checking Contra Embalse de Cacín.

Checking Contra Embalse de Cacín.

We also recorded Limonium subglabrum, Chondrilla juncea, Squirting Cucumber (Ecballium elaterium) and
Southern Brown Argus (Aricia cramera).
Hoopoe (Abubilla / Upupa epops).

Hoopoe (Abubilla / Upupa epops).

Just up the road we checked the Embalse where we found 67
Common Pochard (Porrón Común / Aythya ferina), 3x Ferruginous Duck (Porrón Pardo / Aythya nyroca), 31x Eurasian Teal (Cerceta Común / Anas crecca), 47x Northern Shoveler (Pato Cuchara / Anas clypeata), 200+ Mallard (Anade Azulón / Anas platyrhynchos), Little Grebe (Zampullín Común / Tachybaptus ruficollis), Eurasian Coot (Focha Común / Fulica atra), Common Moorhen (Gallineta Común / Gallinulas chloropus), 8x Green Sandpiper (Andarrios Grande / Tringa ochropus) and Grey Heron (Garza Real / Ardea cinerea) all out on the water or on the margin.
Thekla Lark (Cogujada Montesina / Galerida theklae).

Thekla Lark (Cogujada Montesina / Galerida theklae).

Around the same area we added
White Wagtail (Lavandera Blanca / Montacilla alba), Woodchat Shrike (Alcaudón Común / Lanius senator), Sand (Avión Zapador / Riparia riparia) and House Martin (Avión Común / Delichon urbica) and Barn Swallow (Golondrina Común / Hirundo rustica) along with Rosy Grizzled Skipper (Pyrgus onopordi) and Southern Gatekeeper (Pyronia cecilia).
Long Skimmer (Orthetrum trinacria).
We continued on down the valley and then part of the way to the village of Ventas de Huelma before turning off to Castillo de Tajarja and then out onto the fields near Moraleda, on the way round we saw a very well behaved Hoopoe (Abubilla / Upupa epops), Goldfinch (Jilguero / Carduelis carduelis), Serin (Verdecillo / Serinus serinus) and Corn Bunting (Triguero / Emberiza calandra).
Lesser Emperor (Anax parthenope) pair.

Lesser Emperor (Anax parthenope) Pair.


As we crossed the fields on our way to Balsa de Regidor finding Northern Wheatear (Collalba Gris / Oenanthe oenanthe), Iberian Grey Shrike (Alcaudón Real Meridional / Lanius meridionalis), Tawny Pipit (Bisbita Camprstre / Anthus campestris), Thekla Lark (Cogujada Montesina / Galerida theklae) and Orange-winged Dropwing (Trithemis kirbyi).
Lesser Emperor (Anax parthenope).
We arrived at Balsa de Regidor and scanned the margins looking for Dragons and we had soon seen Long Skimmer (Orthetrum trinacria), Blue / Common (Anax imperator) and Lesser Emperor (Anax parthenope), Blue-eye (Erythromma lindenii), Violet Dropwing (Trithemis annulata) and several calling Reed Warbler (Carricero Común / Acrocephalus scrpaceus).
Wood (Andarrios Bastardo / Tringa glareola) and Common Sandpiper (Andarrios Chico / Actitis hypoleucos) and Ringed Plover (Chorlitejo Grande / Charadrius hiaticula).
We returned to our meeting point and had another coffee before we moved on, Anita headed home and I went to have a look at Embalse de Cubillas as Juan Perez had seen a Pectoral Sandpiper (Correlimos Pectoral / Calidris melanotos) during the morning but by the time I had reach the site it had moved on, however I did see Wood (Andarrios Bastardo / Tringa glareola) and Common Sandpiper (Andarrios Chico / Actitis hypoleucos) and Ringed Plover (Chorlitejo Grande / Charadrius hiaticula).

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